We all have goals that we want (and some we REALLY WANT) to accomplish. Many things prevent goal accomplishment: We don’t plan the work. The daily grind distracts from them. We aren't bought in to the goal. We aren’t sure how to accomplish the goal. And many more reasons. We have found that visualization will improve your ability to accomplish your goals.

Visualization comes in 2 forms, both of which are important to success:

1) Creating mental images of the desired outcomes
2) Writing down and following up on the goals

Practice Visualization

Start with Visualization by using the cognitive process to create mental images of your goal success. For instance, if your goal is to expand your team, you might visualize your expanded org chart, or visualize more people gathered at your team meeting. Fill in the details that make it seem real. Feel the energy of having more team members in the room; imagine them buzzing about an exciting work project. Does the room smell like coffee because there are so many fresh cups on the table? Imagine all the details. 

Or maybe your goal is to grow the revenue from a particular aspect of your business. Visualize your revenue "pie" with a really big slice dedicated to this new revenue. Picture it with lots of details. What color is the new slice? How big is it compared to other slices? What's the dollar figure on the label?

This visualization practice aligns with the psychological concept of the Reticular Activating System (RAS), a part of the brain responsible for filtering information. When you vividly visualize goals, the RAS heightens awareness and sensitivity to opportunities and resources that can contribute to their realization. 

This allows the same neural pathways as actually experiencing them, creating a powerful mental rehearsal. Athletes, artists, and successful individuals harness the potential of visualization to enhance performance and overcome challenges. This mental rehearsal primes the mind for success, fostering confidence and reducing anxiety.

You can then visualize backwards how you accomplished the goal to provide you a set of actions (aka a plan) to get to the goal.

Write It Down

The next series of visualizations is about writing down the plan. Put it on paper, a white board, a project management tool ... Just make it somewhere where the goal will be in your line of sight MULTIPLE times a week. Part of the success formula here is the writing process; part is seeing your goal in front of you again and again. 

Remember that "Believe" sign above the coaches' door in "Ted Lasso"? That's the idea. Write it down. Put it somewhere you can't avoid it. It doesn't have to be fancy. It just has to be prominent.

The "Believe" sign created by fictional coach Ted Lasso in Season 1 became a mantra for future seasons of the hit show on AppleTV+.

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Pair this action with having someone you can follow-up with, talk it through, and celebrate your success. This could be a peer, an accountability buddy, or your boss in your 1:1’s.

These visualization methods provide you the roadmap and follow-up necessary to see your goals come to fruition.